Rear Admiral Mat Winter Named as New Director of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program

This could be interesting to see what the Navy does with the F-35C acquisition program now that a Naval Aviator, Rear Admiral Mat Winter has been named to replaced Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan as director of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.

Winter will take over the JPO as the Trump administration has focused on lowering the cost of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 program. Following his election to the presidency, President-elect Trump called Bogdan twice with concerns over the cost of the aircraft.

Those calls prompted an ongoing Secretary of Defense James Mattis directed review in which Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work will “oversee a review that compares F-35C and F/A-18 E/F operational capabilities and assesses the extent that F/A-18E/F improvements (an advanced Super Hornet) can be made in order to provide a competitive, cost effective, fighter aircraft alternative.” – USNI News

Rear Admiral Mat Winter is a Naval Flight Officer and has multiple tours in the A-6E Intruder as a Bombardier/Navigator. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1984 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Winter earned his commission as a Naval Officer via ROTC and completed a masters degree in computer science from the Naval Postgraduate School.

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